Elastic Energy Dissipators via Multiple Elastic Instabilities

Elastic energy dissipation is possible by controlling the sequential snap-through elastic instabilities of periodically arranged slender elastic elements (units). The individual units exhibit a tailorable elastic limit-point response (snap-through instability) with a negative stiffness region. Their strategic arrangement and connection allows the generation of consecutive elastic snap-through buckling events that results in a hysteretic response with self-centering capability. Two novel elastic energy dissipating systems were studied. First, an energy-dissipative material that uses inclined beams in the material architecture was shown to manage the strain energy generated due to cyclic shear deformations and dissipate it through sequential snap-through instabilities. The second system consists of an arrangement in series of shallow cosine-curved domes, or multiple-cosine-curved-domes (MCCD) that results in an elastic flag-type hysteretic response with self-centering capabilities. The devices’ stiffness, strength, deformation capacity and energy absorption can be optimized through the design of the individual units and their geometrical arrangement. Both systems display repeatable response without damage and are insensitive to loading rate.